I have just replaced the heating element & I would like to replace the hi-limit thermostat on my late 60s Maytag "Halo of Heat" dryer. Original 'stat was taken by a repair guy many years ago and replacement never allowed Regular setting to work.

Local Maytag dealer recently ordered in a replacement according to his catalog (#305865) but doesn't seem to be right one (only has two tabs - I would seem to need four tabs for the 4 wires on my machine). Schematics on the net for DE406 Series 1 seem to confirm dealers part # - a two tab hi-limit switch. Am I missing something here?

My original thermostat was a stacked unit with 4 tabs - two tabs on one side connected to two leads from heating element. Two tabs on the other side connected to a purple lead from the timer & a green lead to the the thermostat on the exhaust fan housing.

The schematic on the back of my dryer peeled off long ago and has been misplaced (I'm sure I have it somewhere!)

My questions:

The replacement thermostat I have found has 4 tabs labeled 1,2,3 & 4 - does it matter which side connects to the elements and which side to the timer/thermo leads? Photo shows config that I have chosen. Haven't plugged in yet! Note scorching from burned lead that led to replacing element.

Can anyone supply an image of my original schematic?

I'd love to keep this ol' girl running - my parents bought it new circa 1968, along with its companion washer.

You are confusing the hi-limit thermostat with the normal operating thermostat. They are 2 different animals with different heat settings and will not swap out with one another. The hi-limit shown in your picture is a 3-wire hi-limit. The other part you bought (4-wire) goes down on the blower outlet and controls the running temps inside the dryer. See List of thermostats for this model.

The thermostat for the burner housing which you refer to as the hi-limit is part # 305865 shown below:

Note: the 3-5865 is the same as 305865; a 0 is subbed for all those dashes now

« Last Edit: January 02, 2010, 10:02:04 AM by JWWebster »

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Thank you for responding to my post. I'm sorry I wasn't a little more clear in my description.

The thermostat picture in my first post is the 4-wire that I bought to replace the 4-wire that didn't work on Regular setting. It was not sold as a Maytag replacement part - just a thermostat with the same 4-wire config & heat range as faulty one. There are 4 wires that need connecting in that corner of my dryer - two from the heating element - a purple one that goes to the timer and a green one that goes to the thermostat on the blower outlet. A 3-wire wouldn't work there, nor would a 2-wire.

The thermostat on the blower outlet is a 2-wire and is the original - never replaced in the twenty years since I got this dryer from my parents. It is labeled 3-03035 (see picture in this post).

I do note that my blower outlet thermostat has tabs labeled Pur-Gr and Black and the only two wires in that neighborhood are green - maybe the 2-76 indicates a mid-70s date and possible replacement.

I am wondering if I have a model that was unique to Canada - hard to get any info from that era now that Whirlpool has taken over. The "H" in my model number (HDE406) may indicate a difference in the configurations. It would sure be handy to have my long-mislaid schematic. All my local experts have retired!

I guess the biggest question that I have is this: at the hi-limit (4-wire) location (see photo in my first post) does it matter where the green and purple wires attach? Obviously, the two leads from the element attach on one side but I'm wondering if the purple & green are interchangeable on the other side of the thermostat? Kind of like a no-harm-done thing - if it doesn't work just switch them. Just didn't want to ruin my new $40 investment!

I have an old maytag dryer manual in my junk, I will go and look in it and see

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I could not find the manual, I remember the control thermostat was real expensive and I was thinking each terminal connection had its own size so that you could not wire it wrong.Each wire had a number on it and the number is stamped on each control thermostat terminal

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May the hinges of our friendship never grow rusty.

About the icons: The beer is tip link, if a tech saves ya some money buy em a 6 pack. The small green square=personal message. The green dot is a link to my web page on appliance repair and other general BS I love to post. The letter sends me email.I love fan letters! LOL